Recommended Reading by Professionals…with Sara Megibow

In this series, I ask various publishing professionals (including authors, bloggers, editors, agents etc.) to recommend 2-3 authors or books they feel haven’t received the recognition they deserve.

Today’s recommendations are by Sara Megibow. Sara has been with Nelson Literary Agency since early 2006. Her first responsibilities included reading query letters, sample pages, and full manuscripts, and she was promoted to Associate Literary Agent in 2009. From sexy romance to epic fantasy, Sara has loved reading since picking up her first copy of The Hobbit. Sara earned a B.A. in Women’s Studies and a B.A. in American History from Northwestern University. She loves to ski, hike, kayak, and hang out with her beat-boxing husband, adorable son, and fuzzy cat.

My first love as a reader was fantasy. When I was in fourth grade, I purchased THE HERO AND THE CROWN by Robin McKinley at our local independent bookstore in Sylvania, Ohio and that was it for me – I was hooked. As an adult, I still read fantasy voraciously (and yes, I read for pleasure even though there is so much reading for my job). Choosing fantasy novels to recommend is harder as, of course, it’s my nature to recommend client books over everything else. However, for this post I will put aside my bias and give #fangirl shout-outs to three amazing fantasy novels I’ve loved that were NOT written by clients. Happy reading!

ABOVE by Leah Bobet
An elegant, complex, beautiful fantasy novel – this was one of my favorite reads of all 2013. When I think of effortless and magical world building, this is the book I recommend.

ASH by Malinda Lo
I read ASH several years ago and still can’t get it out of my head. The world is elegant and the characters are important and strong. This book is a brilliant fantasy story and it’s also important to the diversity agenda.

THE THOUSAND NAMES by Django Wexler
I just read this book about a month ago and could’t stop talking about it on twitter. Django effortlessly juggles a gigantic cast of characters and a truly epic plot in way that had me staying up late glued to the pages. As a gay pride supporter, I also recommend this book for it’s gay heroine who is strong and beautiful and powerful.

Stay tuned for the next post where we get reading recommendations from AJ Colucci!

Kristin Centorcelli is the Associate Editor at SF Signal, proprietor of My Bookish Ways, a reviewer for Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly, and has also written for Crime Fiction Lover, Criminal Element, and Mystery Scene Magazine. She has been reviewing books since late 2010, in an effort to get through a rather immense personal library, while also discussing it with whoever will willingly sit still (and some that won’t).

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